Chuck is the author of the published novels: Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Under the Empyrean Sky, Blue Blazes, Double Dead, Bait Dog, Dinocalypse Now, Beyond Dinocalypse and Gods & Monsters: Unclean Spirits. He also the author of the soon-to-be-published novels: The Cormorant, Blightborn (Heartland Book #2), Heartland Book #3, Dinocalypse Forever, Frack You, and The Hellsblood Bride. Also coming soon is his compilation book of writing advice from this very blog: The Kick-Ass Writer, coming from Writers Digest.
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is an alum of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter’s Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, showed at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey. Together they co-wrote the digital transmedia drama Collapsus, which was nominated for an International Digital Emmy and a Games 4 Change award.
Chuck has contributed over two million words to the game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP). He was a frequent contributor to The Escapist, writing about games and pop culture.
Much of his writing advice has been collected in various writing- and storytelling-related e-books.
He currently lives in the forests of Pennsyltucky with wife, two dogs, and tiny human.
He is likely drunk and untrustworthy. This blog is NSFW and probably NSFL.
You may reach him at terribleminds [at] gmail [dot] com.
Today’s challenge: write a piece of flash fiction that begins with a visitor at the door. A guest. Or a villain. Or something altogether stranger. Any genre will do. But someone is at the door.
Who? Why? For what purpose?
Length: 1000 words-ish
Due by: Friday, June 17th, noon EST.
Post at your online space, drop a comment here.
Knock, knock. Who’s there?
Tsara Shelton
June 10, 2016 at 10:18 AM //
Okay. I’m absolutely unashamedly unabashedly cheating.
I wrote this just before Halloween last year. And it’s non-fiction. But it’s about the ghost who knocked on my door when I was twelve. So I truly hope you don’t mind if I share it here, Chuck.
Here it is:
I’m Not Afraid Of Kevin Reese (The Ghost At My Door)
http://autismanswersbytsara.blogspot.com/2015/10/autism-answer-im-not-afraid-of-kevin.html
Amira&MelaJohnson104
June 10, 2016 at 3:40 PM //
Tsara, I loved your story. 🙂 I’m with you on the cheating part 😉
Fatma Alici
June 11, 2016 at 3:28 PM //
Wonderful story, I like the kind of moment by moment play by play. It works really well.
Tsara Shelton
June 13, 2016 at 8:24 PM //
Thank you, Fatma! It was fun to write and remember.
Hugs!
Fantastical
June 14, 2016 at 11:39 AM //
This was not only beautifully written, but just a wonderful story as well.
Tsara Shelton
June 20, 2016 at 3:20 PM //
Oh, thank you! I’m honored that you enjoyed it!!
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 9:11 AM //
I really enjoyed this story. I had a dream about a close friend of mine after he took his life when I was 15. i do think spirits come back to tell us they are okay. Wonderful use of the prompt.
Tsara Shelton
June 20, 2016 at 3:27 PM //
Thank you! I have always been a hard to describe mix of someone who believes in such things and someone who is strangely uninterested. However, I do have an annual conversation with my dad who passed away several years ago. The rule is this: I can tell him anything but I’m not allowed to ask him about himself. I’ve never questioned it, I just enjoy it!
Hugs!
Mark Gardner
June 10, 2016 at 10:45 AM //
This prompt was perfect for continuing Mental State: http://wp.me/s4le2s-sunshine
christopherslagle
June 14, 2016 at 10:53 AM //
Possibly my favorite installment of Mental State so far. Steven is more intriguing every week!
Mark Gardner
June 14, 2016 at 4:17 PM //
Thanks, Christopher! I hope you keep reading.
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 9:19 AM //
I’m glad you introduced Ruby! Great installment. I can’t wait to keep reading.
Mark Gardner
June 17, 2016 at 7:52 PM //
Lauren, the next chapter is up.
Pleasant Street
June 17, 2016 at 10:14 AM //
I enjoyed this- looks like I need to be reading back some to catch up
Mark Gardner
June 17, 2016 at 7:51 PM //
Thanks! This week’s chapter is already up. I hope you do catch up.
The Writer
June 10, 2016 at 11:21 AM //
“Becoming Utopia”
https://atcrump.com/2016/06/10/becoming-utopia-chapter-3-3-bloodline/
-Thanks Chuck.
Fatma Alici
June 11, 2016 at 3:34 PM //
This snippet makes me curious about the rest of work. Cool, thanks for sharing.
David Williams
June 10, 2016 at 11:43 AM //
I am trying to get Poe and his raven out of my head. . .
Mozette
June 10, 2016 at 9:12 PM //
You and I think alike! 😀
Amira&MelaJohnson104
June 10, 2016 at 2:25 PM //
I’m in the same boat as Tsara Shelton and I deeply apologize. But, I want to share with you a story I wrote that fits this challenge quite nicely. It’s a little over the top and I want to know what you guys think.
The Unedited Interview with Pornstar, Brenford Stevens. And, no, lol, I don’t go there. See for yourself 🙂
http://www.authoryellehughes.com/?p=6510
Mozette
June 12, 2016 at 8:54 AM //
Ooooooh, Boy!!!!!! 😛
Yelle Hughes (@YelleHughes)
June 15, 2016 at 12:19 AM //
She’s so fired, right? 🙂
Tsara Shelton
June 13, 2016 at 8:23 PM //
That was fun!! It reminds me of this dream I had…. tee hee!
Yelle Hughes (@YelleHughes)
June 13, 2016 at 10:23 PM //
🙂
jack lee taylor
June 14, 2016 at 12:28 PM //
Whew! I need to cool down now. Great job!
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 9:44 AM //
I LOVED this!
Kim
June 10, 2016 at 2:45 PM //
Mine is Blog Heaven. I totally wrote off the fly, very fast, so there ya go. Five hundred words for a knock on the door. Thanks for prompting. I tied in my draft I’m querying. Yup. Here’s the link: https://theivorytide.com/2016/06/10/blog-heaven/
jack lee taylor
June 10, 2016 at 3:35 PM //
Haven’t done these in a while, but glad to throw something in. Went over some, but had fun!
https://jackleetaylor.com/2016/06/10/morton/
christopherslagle
June 14, 2016 at 11:03 AM //
Wow. Just wow. Nice job.
Fantastical
June 14, 2016 at 12:02 PM //
Well done. I liked the twists and turns of it, and in such a short space. Bravo!
Skye
June 14, 2016 at 2:54 PM //
Well done! Great twist near the end.
jack lee taylor
June 14, 2016 at 3:17 PM //
Thanks!
Yelle Hughes (@YelleHughes)
June 15, 2016 at 12:18 AM //
Had me glued to my chair, hoping someone would save the poor guy. Guess not. This was awesome, thanks so much for sharing this. 🙂
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 9:58 AM //
I loved the twist in this. great job.
mannixk
June 10, 2016 at 5:51 PM //
I’m also a bit of a cheater today, as I had started this micro piece before Christmas. But I finished it today, as it seemed to fit the challenge.
https://makesmesodigress.com/2016/06/10/they/
Fantastical
June 14, 2016 at 12:04 PM //
That was fun. Short and sweet, and yet tells the perfect little story. Thanks for sharing.
mannixk
June 15, 2016 at 1:42 PM //
Thanks. Very short, but maybe with room to grow.
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 10:02 AM //
Good start. I think you could go SO many places with this!
Mariah Avix
June 10, 2016 at 6:14 PM //
I don’t need an actual knock right. Like …throwing something..or someone… into a door at a really high speed…that would work…right? Right.
I have to go throw something.
Mariah Avix
June 10, 2016 at 10:05 PM //
Two crashes into a door. http://insani-x.com/
I don’t follow directions well.
Fantastical
June 14, 2016 at 12:07 PM //
Prompts are meant to inspire, even if that inspiration takes you off the beaten path a bit. Glad you shared it regardless. Was a fun read.
Carol J Forrester
June 10, 2016 at 6:35 PM //
https://caroljforrester.com/2016/06/10/the-girl-across-the-street/
Third attempt at a story for this prompt. This one I managed to finish.
christopherslagle
June 14, 2016 at 11:34 AM //
Glad this one made it to the blog. I really enjoyed it.
Carol J Forrester
June 14, 2016 at 4:23 PM //
Thank you.
Fantastical
June 14, 2016 at 12:15 PM //
Glad this made it as well. This was a joy to read.
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 10:47 AM //
I really enjoyed this story!
Mozette
June 10, 2016 at 8:50 PM //
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/blind-target.html
Enjoy.
StarNinja
June 13, 2016 at 5:32 PM //
Thrilling and exciting! I loved this little snap shot into Lisa’s life. It almost felt like a true crime style story. The kind that needs a slick voice over guy to say, “Little did the they know that, like Justice, Lisa was also blind. And, like Justice, she always got her man.” Great stuff, Mozette. Thanks for sharing!
Mozette
June 14, 2016 at 12:04 AM //
Thank you. 😀 A few years ago, I lost my sight in my left eye for a few days (during a big seizure, I cut the inside of my eyelid and when it healed, it didn’t heal properly and pulled a piece of my cornea off, allowing in the sunlight and anything else into my eyeball – very painful). I was lucky to regain my sight; but it was scary to not be able to see over those few days. I drew from that experience and thought to use a police/guide dog to work it all in together… had fun writing this. 😀
Chris
June 11, 2016 at 1:05 PM //
Cheater cheater, pants on… wait, that doesn’t work. Anyway, here’s “Unwanted Guests” https://christopherslagle.wordpress.com/2016/06/11/flash-fiction-unwanted-guests
jack lee taylor
June 14, 2016 at 12:33 PM //
That rocked! Love it!
Skye
June 14, 2016 at 9:20 PM //
This was good. More the beginning of a story, maybe?
christopherslagle
June 14, 2016 at 9:58 PM //
Thanks, Skye! It’s early in the story, but not the very beginning. If you’re interested, I plan to post more on my site; Part 1 is already up and can be linked to through the “Unwanted Guests” blog entry!
Fatma Alici
June 11, 2016 at 3:25 PM //
When I went to write this a character jumped out of my mind fully formed. A female Wizard who has been trying to get by in the modern world. Now, she needs modern help to catch a killer. And, bam story begins. I love when it all comes together.
http://www.fatmaalici.com/2016/06/11/flash-fiction-a-wizard-whose-stranger/
thisdamkid
June 12, 2016 at 1:03 AM //
http://www.itsthesedammedkids.com/index.php/2016/06/12/the-lies-of-misanthropy/ Here’s what I’ve got
StarNinja
June 12, 2016 at 1:36 PM //
Someone’s knocking at the door. Somebody’s ringing a bell. What a simple premise and yet… great story fodder! Here’s my attempt:
https://wormholelesstraveled.wordpress.com/2016/06/12/kconk-kconk/
jack lee taylor
June 15, 2016 at 1:52 PM //
What a fun read! I know what you mean about simple premise. Tough to do, but nice work!
M. D. Flyn (@mdflynwriter)
June 13, 2016 at 9:17 AM //
More summer than scifi, a cute story about a cookie dilemma. http://www.mdflyn.com/liars-truth-original-flash-fiction/
Sharon Boddy
June 13, 2016 at 9:25 AM //
Thanks for giving me an opportunity to indulge a fantasy of smacking the crap out of technology. https://oddznsodz.blogspot.ca/
David Ralph Lewis
June 16, 2016 at 12:11 PM //
Really liked this one, the description of the near future was really vivid and detailed.
lwall6710
June 13, 2016 at 10:38 AM //
https://wordpress.com/post/lwall6710.wordpress.com/182 Always wanted to write a Horror Story.
Fantastical
June 13, 2016 at 5:52 PM //
Here is my first attempt to this prompt: https://theprose.com/post/71404/knock-knock
jack lee taylor
June 14, 2016 at 12:39 PM //
Nice! Funny with a hint of darkness. Loved the sales pitch back and forth, especially.
Fantastical
June 16, 2016 at 1:20 PM //
Thanks. It just popped in my head and I wanted to get it down before I lost some of the details. If I ever come back to it, I want to flesh out the purpose of the sidekick more (details in my head that never translated to the story), but it was a fun little diversion to write regardless.
C. Rasmussen
June 13, 2016 at 6:57 PM //
This one is a bit different from usual. No science fiction, no action, just… a couple sharing a dinner before one of them leaves for six months (with a nice little surprise at the end):
https://comradecharlie.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/the-first-goodbye/
Skye Overall
June 14, 2016 at 2:47 PM //
Here’s my entry: http://runnerskye.ca/flash-fiction-challenge-death-comes-knocking/
christopherslagle
June 15, 2016 at 8:12 AM //
So well written, I could feel Sabine’s resignation. Especially enjoyed the ending!
Skye
June 15, 2016 at 7:22 PM //
Thanks so much!
mannixk
June 15, 2016 at 1:41 PM //
Loved this!! You’ve created some truly vivid characters in Wesley and Sabine.
Skye
June 15, 2016 at 7:24 PM //
Thanks! It’s tricky with such limited space. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Modern Authors
June 14, 2016 at 4:13 PM //
I ended up a little over 1000 words. I hope you can forgive me.
https://modernauthors.org/2016/06/14/a-mistake-made-twice/
christopherslagle
June 15, 2016 at 10:55 AM //
Delightfully bizarre!
Vicente L Ruiz
June 14, 2016 at 5:33 PM //
I arrive quite late this week. A different approach at who’s at the door, inspired by an idea my son gave me: “Don’t Mess With Me”.
https://medium.com/@VicenteLRuiz/dont-mess-with-me-61a1d2b4fa6#.xugjlai3h
Rebecca Douglass
June 17, 2016 at 11:53 AM //
A little rough in places, but I like the story. And a crafty way to catch the killer.
Vicente L Ruiz
June 17, 2016 at 4:43 PM //
Thanks. I didn’t want to be too obvious with the story and it turned out a bit sketchy, I’d say.
prosateuse
June 14, 2016 at 11:32 PM //
It is VERY short. I just didn’t feel that it needed to be any longer. So it’s on my ello, rather than my website.
https://ello.co/prosateuse/post/khdm6i-sshu66iorgwyg4q
David Ralph Lewis
June 15, 2016 at 7:14 AM //
Here you go, a bit different to what I usually write: http://davidralphlewis.co.uk/my-writing/a-knock-on-the-door/
Skye
June 15, 2016 at 7:46 PM //
I liked this one. Great descriptions.
David Ralph Lewis
June 16, 2016 at 5:36 AM //
Thanks very much!
Christopher Slagle
June 16, 2016 at 7:32 AM //
Great job, I felt like I was in the middle of the maelstrom.
David Ralph Lewis
June 16, 2016 at 12:07 PM //
Cheers. Maelstrom is such an excellent word as well
shyandretiring
June 15, 2016 at 1:12 PM //
Ok, so this is my last attempt at posting. Not sure why I haven’t been able to but if this doesn’t appear I’ll give up, promise.
A few words on the knock at the door. http://shyandretiring.weebly.com/someone-at-the-door.html. Apologies if this doesn’t appear as a proper link (still learning).
mannixk
June 15, 2016 at 1:35 PM //
I like this one, and didn’t see the ending coming.
christopherslagle
June 15, 2016 at 2:08 PM //
Love the writing, also didn’t expect the end! Glad to see you post some of your work, and I hope we get to read more soon!
Shyandretiring
June 15, 2016 at 5:42 PM //
Thank you for comments. A little confession (which I had tried to post before, honest), this piece was already written, so similar to a couple of posts here, so another cheater am afraid. It’s part of something bigger which I’m half way through.
Am a complete technophobe so have messed up previous posts but have tried to leave comments on the great stuff I’ve read here. Looking forward to reading more and being tested by the challenges.
Matthew X. Gomez
June 15, 2016 at 11:20 PM //
Yep, continued the piece from last week (so this makes me three for three using the same characters).
https://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2016/06/15/the-serpents-map-part-2/
Christopher Slagle
June 16, 2016 at 8:10 AM //
Great language, pace, characterization, finished with a smile on my face. Keep it up, Matt 🙂
Matthew X. Gomez
June 16, 2016 at 9:41 AM //
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
rosswhippo
June 15, 2016 at 11:22 PM //
Thanks for the kick in the butt!
The Best Silver
https://rosswhippo.com/2016/06/15/a-flash-challenge/
mannixk
June 16, 2016 at 9:29 AM //
I liked this one! And the line ““Well I’m a Scorpio so get us some straws.” made me laugh. 🙂
Sharon Boddy
June 16, 2016 at 9:55 AM //
Nice! Reminded me a little bit of a Canadian flick called “Last Night” with Don McKellar and Sandra Oh.
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 11:03 AM //
Great job! Intriguing, humor, wonderfully three dimensional characters. I loved it.
legreene515
June 16, 2016 at 7:20 AM //
I just had to include something about the Orlando shooting, because it’s touched me. I had actually written a completely different piece and started over.
Finished: https://laurengreenewrites.com/2016/06/16/finished/
ToniJ
June 16, 2016 at 1:34 PM //
Here’s mine. I hope it counts, even if the person at the door never goes inside!
Never Trust A Goblin – https://tonij.com/2016/06/16/never-trust-a-goblin/
Eva Nemirovsky
June 16, 2016 at 4:31 PM //
There’s a Werewolf on my Doorstep – http://bek516.tumblr.com/post/146026289430/theres-a-werewolf-on-my-doorstep
Rebecca Douglass
June 17, 2016 at 1:03 AM //
Squeaking in under the wire, as usual.
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2016/06/friday-flash-fiction-knock-knock.html
Also as usual, I could have gone horror, but went humor instead.
Jemima Pett
June 17, 2016 at 1:59 AM //
More back story from my scifi series, but it stands on its own, I think…
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2016/06/17/fridayflash-fiction-the-inspector-calls/
Pleasant Street
June 17, 2016 at 8:54 AM //
I haven’t posted here in a while. I mostly write poetry but I’ve been working over old fiction and even writing new. Here goes:
Directions https://geletilari.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/directions/
turk921
June 17, 2016 at 10:58 AM //
Knock. Knock.
http://www.bxbstudios.com/flash-fiction-knock-knock/
Thanks!
Pleasant Street
June 20, 2016 at 5:36 PM //
Whoa, I kept waiting for the happy twist. Horrifying, and tense up to the last